In a recent video, Vice President Kamala Harris had a bizarre reaction to the Hamas ceasefire.
REPORTER: "Madam Vice President, Hamas says it accepted a ceasefire deal. Your reaction?"
HARRIS: "Shrimp and grits!"
The White House is a freaking clown show. pic.twitter.com/CqzUqDLzKh
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 6, 2024
Hamas announced it has agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar aiming to end the seven-month conflict with Israel in Gaza.
In a Monday statement, Hamas confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh, head of its political bureau, informed the Qatari prime minister and the Egyptian intelligence minister that the group had accepted the proposed ceasefire.
Israel is currently reviewing Hamas’s response to the proposal, with the Israeli prime minister’s office not commenting on the matter yet, according to CNN. It’s unclear if Hamas agreed to the most recent ceasefire framework from last week or a revised version.
The latest proposed framework, which Israel helped create but hasn’t fully accepted, suggests releasing 20 to 33 hostages over several weeks, with a temporary ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange. After the initial exchange, the framework outlines a phase of “sustainable calm,” where the remaining hostages, captive Israeli soldiers, and the bodies of hostages would be swapped for more Palestinian prisoners.
A diplomatic source familiar with the talks told CNN that after a full-day meeting in Doha, Qatar’s capital, CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani convinced Hamas to accept a three-part deal.
The White House confirmed Monday that Hamas responded to a proposed hostage agreement, and President Joe Biden had been briefed on the response. However, the White House refrained from detailing the specifics of the potential deal. Biden is “aware of where the situation and where the process is,” stated White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Following Hamas’s announcement, Palestinians celebrated in the streets of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, and Gaza City in the north. This news came hours after Israel ordered residents in Rafah, a southern Gaza city, to evacuate, raising concerns of an imminent assault on the area. Rafah has seen an influx of over a million Palestinians, where Hamas is believed to have regrouped after significant destruction in northern Gaza.
